I have been really thinking about what I want this site to be and honestly have a lot on my mind. I am more than just my labels as everyone is and I want this to be about the notion that labels others give don’t matter. Then what can make the truth matter more than the labels that define a person?
To answer the question is to write about what I learn in life. Whether that is from trips to somewhere new, books I read or just understanding experiences at work. Writing about life is how to escape the misunderstood and enter a world of understanding.
I began thinking about this a couple years ago. I Had gotten my first dog and fell in love with her. As she met my grandma she was discussing how dogs scared her because she was attacked by dogs specifically trained to hurt people. Bailey my puppy was slowly changing her mind as she calmly would wag her tail walking towards her, dive down into a resting position and crawl towards her feet. I remember thinking how the view on dogs has changed since the holocaust. In fact Nazi’s would use dogs as scare tactics and to attack Jews and others. Therefore, many Ashekanzi Jews having a dog in a home was out of the question. I then thought deeper into the negative connotation that dogs have in Judaism due to the symbolism dogs had in Egypt and began in depth studying of it all. I always believe that there is purpose in everything and from the time the Torah was written Jewish prophets and elites have given an explanation for everything.
I know it’s a random story and there is more so hold on just a little bit more.
You see, Judaism also speaks of the tenth plague. Dogs roaming the streets of Egypt would not growl or snarl at an Israelite to indicate that they are an Israelite. As the plague engulfed Egypt, killing every firstborn male Egyptian the dogs were a way of protection for Israelites. There is a contradiction even in the Torah between the relationship Jews have with dogs and what it means for today’s Jewish people. Furthermore Rambam himself gives guidelines to what is defined as a proper relationship between dog and human. He defines the relationship as a working relationship, a dog can be a part of the family as a livestock dog or protection dog but to have an emotional connection with it is where the line is drawn.
I halted my thoughts for a moment. You see, for those who do have a pet, a dog, cat, bird or even livestock it is difficult for them not to grow fond of that pet. They have emotions not too different from people, they feel pain, and yes they serve a purpose in the household. So on a rare occasion I disagreed with the one man in Jewish history that I rarely disagreed with and had to figure out what that alone meant.
Like this blog I tend to go on bizarre tangents. I studied Maimonedes for years, I have his book on my shelf, I sneak into my fathers room to read through his Rambam Tanakh and I live by his rules of Tzedakah. So what does it mean to question a philosopher of Judaica? It means I am like any other Jewish person and every other Jewish story. If we look at Judaism today, what is fascinating is to find different remote Jewish tribes like those in Ethiopia and Uganda, or discovering “crypto” Jews (Those who hid and erased tradition in order to stay safe) in places like Spain and Argentina. The spread of different Jewish communities are due to moments in history where a tribe split from the nation to do what they believed was right in accordance to Jewish law or for the safety of their families. During the time of Shulchan Aruch there was so much disagreement it led to battles between Jewish leaders and again a split of Jewish tribes leading to spreading through Europe, Africa and Russia.
As I went on this continuous tangent I said to myself: If I can figure out how to write down my thoughts while dealing with my own studies and own Jewish experiences then perhaps I can understand where I belong in a world where religious Judaism along with every aspect of who I am should not coincide within a person. At least that is from the perspective of others who quite oppositely have found their place within a label and that has made them happy within the world they live.
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